My hit was everyone should have to work as a server in a restaurant so they forever knew what an adequate attitude and gratuity to the servers would be.
Just now getting to this post, but it made me laugh. In terms of monotonous jobs, I cringe with pity every time I take an Amazon return into my local UPS store. I wonder when the employees realized their jobs in shipping were turning into an unending series of 20 second interactions on behalf of ANOTHER COMPANY and what they think of it.
You are so right, Renee! At least they might have some good stories about the stuff getting returned. Especially since you don't even need the original packaging for it!
As a fellow retail survivor, I agree 110% that retail and/or food service jobs should be compulsory. I'm also quietly giving thanks that I never had to fish used diapers out of any of our racks. Yeesh!
There was an older guy that used to come in, chat us up and buy a few things once a week or so. Turns out he was also robbing us blind every time. When he finally got caught, the police brought him back into the store and he apologized. It was like the villain reveal at the end of a Scooby-Doo episode.
Omigosh, Kevin!! That is kind of incredible! You should have put a photo of him up somewhere: "REFORMED!" Very Dickensian. It has never stopped amazing me what people will do and how they will behave in these types of spaces. Like they get lobotomized walking into the Target, forgetting they are pulling this crap on other people...just..like...them. Humans: the ultimate unsolved mystery
I love this new piece with the Disney Store angle friend! So many people including me will relate to this. Cuz everyone except trust fund kids and Florida politicians with the last name of DeSantis or Gaetz (1) loves Disney/Pixar/MCU/Star Wars and/or (2) has worked at a retail or food service job at some point in their lives. I wonder where Helga is now?!
P.S. Would kill for that distressed brown leather bomber jacket, that sounds so dope! I don't blame Bonnie and Clyde at all for trying though. The other week my husband was telling me about his latest Sam's Club excursion, and I kid you not, someone was trying to casually walk out with a 70" TV?! Like literally the would-be thief was simply stopped and was asked "Can I see your receipt for that, sir?" And that was that. 🙄
HAAAAAAA!! I am laughing at the Sam's TV Club...omigod..that is BRAZEN! I mean, I sort of have to respect the audacity? Yeah..those jackets were killahhhh. Once a year there was this company-wide sale. People would line up outside the store hours before it opened. We all hoped those jackets would make the cut..nope :) It was honestly a very cool time to work for Disney--after you were employed a year you earned a small discount off park passes. I am still very close with a few people who I worked with and we enjoy swapping stories when we get together. Nothing like it before or since :) I often wonder about Helga. I called her, affectionately, "Helga-relli" as in the Cinderella song because she also seemed to be the one doing the lion's share of real work..even busting thieves! :)
I spent 30 years in retail and food service. I've got stories for days about customers. The Bug From Hell/lockdown/quarantine in 2020 cost me my last retail job, but in hindsight, it was the kick in the pants I needed to finally stop.
Heh. My husband spent about as much time in retail as I did. At one point, when I was at Bloomingdale's and he was at Barnes and Noble, we'd have a contest over who had the best worst customer service story or the best stupid customer question.
Now THAT'S a drinking game right there! I also worked at Barnes & Noble and may write a little about it....my favorite was the customer who asked if we had the book "How to Kill a Mockingbird." :)
My BEST stupid question is from my time at the in the gift shop at the Art Institute in Chicago. The lions out front? Are VERY anotomically correct. The gift shop sells bookends of the lions. Again, very atontomically correct. A customer plopped the display ones on the counter and asked me which one was female. I had to walk away so that she couldn't see me laugh in her face.
My hit was everyone should have to work as a server in a restaurant so they forever knew what an adequate attitude and gratuity to the servers would be.
100%!!! This should be required like gym class!!!
Just now getting to this post, but it made me laugh. In terms of monotonous jobs, I cringe with pity every time I take an Amazon return into my local UPS store. I wonder when the employees realized their jobs in shipping were turning into an unending series of 20 second interactions on behalf of ANOTHER COMPANY and what they think of it.
You are so right, Renee! At least they might have some good stories about the stuff getting returned. Especially since you don't even need the original packaging for it!
As a fellow retail survivor, I agree 110% that retail and/or food service jobs should be compulsory. I'm also quietly giving thanks that I never had to fish used diapers out of any of our racks. Yeesh!
There was an older guy that used to come in, chat us up and buy a few things once a week or so. Turns out he was also robbing us blind every time. When he finally got caught, the police brought him back into the store and he apologized. It was like the villain reveal at the end of a Scooby-Doo episode.
Omigosh, Kevin!! That is kind of incredible! You should have put a photo of him up somewhere: "REFORMED!" Very Dickensian. It has never stopped amazing me what people will do and how they will behave in these types of spaces. Like they get lobotomized walking into the Target, forgetting they are pulling this crap on other people...just..like...them. Humans: the ultimate unsolved mystery
Right? Even typing that last night, I could recall how shocked we all were (and a little hurt, tbh) when he was led in. It felt like it was yesterday.
I bet. That kind of thing almost never happens. I’m glad you got to experience it
I love this new piece with the Disney Store angle friend! So many people including me will relate to this. Cuz everyone except trust fund kids and Florida politicians with the last name of DeSantis or Gaetz (1) loves Disney/Pixar/MCU/Star Wars and/or (2) has worked at a retail or food service job at some point in their lives. I wonder where Helga is now?!
P.S. Would kill for that distressed brown leather bomber jacket, that sounds so dope! I don't blame Bonnie and Clyde at all for trying though. The other week my husband was telling me about his latest Sam's Club excursion, and I kid you not, someone was trying to casually walk out with a 70" TV?! Like literally the would-be thief was simply stopped and was asked "Can I see your receipt for that, sir?" And that was that. 🙄
HAAAAAAA!! I am laughing at the Sam's TV Club...omigod..that is BRAZEN! I mean, I sort of have to respect the audacity? Yeah..those jackets were killahhhh. Once a year there was this company-wide sale. People would line up outside the store hours before it opened. We all hoped those jackets would make the cut..nope :) It was honestly a very cool time to work for Disney--after you were employed a year you earned a small discount off park passes. I am still very close with a few people who I worked with and we enjoy swapping stories when we get together. Nothing like it before or since :) I often wonder about Helga. I called her, affectionately, "Helga-relli" as in the Cinderella song because she also seemed to be the one doing the lion's share of real work..even busting thieves! :)
I spent 30 years in retail and food service. I've got stories for days about customers. The Bug From Hell/lockdown/quarantine in 2020 cost me my last retail job, but in hindsight, it was the kick in the pants I needed to finally stop.
I bow to you, Retail Survivor. You could probably fill a not-so-slim volume with all that you've seen and endured. Respect!!!
Heh. My husband spent about as much time in retail as I did. At one point, when I was at Bloomingdale's and he was at Barnes and Noble, we'd have a contest over who had the best worst customer service story or the best stupid customer question.
Now THAT'S a drinking game right there! I also worked at Barnes & Noble and may write a little about it....my favorite was the customer who asked if we had the book "How to Kill a Mockingbird." :)
My BEST stupid question is from my time at the in the gift shop at the Art Institute in Chicago. The lions out front? Are VERY anotomically correct. The gift shop sells bookends of the lions. Again, very atontomically correct. A customer plopped the display ones on the counter and asked me which one was female. I had to walk away so that she couldn't see me laugh in her face.
Oh. THAT is a keeper. WOW. Let’s hope she wasn’t going from there to her air traffic control shift